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MRSA/Mastitis? Desperate...

Hello-
So I have posted on here a couple times thinking I had thrush after having mastitis. I am at a loss right now. I had mastitis (my milk came back MRSA positive as well) and was on a round of antibiotics for it. I went back in to my dr. and she diagnosed me with thrush. after trying thrush treatment, went back to see her because I am just not feeling well. She took another sample of my milk and it came back positive for MRSA again. I am so confused and overwhelmed.
So my questions-
What are the actual symptoms of mastitis? I don't have a fever but do feel very run-down and am having shooting pains in both breasts and irritated, reddish, burning nipples.
What are thrush symptoms?
Does anyone have any experience with MRSA and nursing? (I have struggled with repeat infections for 4 years, with no protocol or antibiotics being able to get rid of it.)
Is it possible that my milk will just always contain MRSA bacteria because I am a carrier?
I really don't want to do the recommended 6-8 additional weeks of antibiotcs. Can anyone tell me natural alternatives?
I am having such a hard time because I don't even really know what's going on as far as what I have I just know I am in pain and want to figure this out. Thanks...

Re: MRSA/Mastitis? Desperate...

from what you describe you have symptoms of mastisis and thrush. you dont need to have a fever to have mastsis. flu like symptoms are a classic sign.

how old is your baby? this is posted in 0-3months, from your siggy is says she was born in 2008

ETA: if it were me i would get me and the baby treated with diflucan, do vinegar washes etc. also, if you feel like it is mastisis i would be nursing, using massage and heat. if it has been going on for a while i would take an anitibiotic for the mastisis. it can get very serious. and the MRSA would concern me.

Re: MRSA/Mastitis? Desperate...

Ugh. That does not sound fun at all. I'm sorry.

First of all, I would see your doctor again. You may need a different antibiotic to hopefully get rid of that MRSA.

Do you have oversupply? With the signs of mastitis you're talking about here, I would be spending a lot of time in a hot bath, massaging my breasts and trying to remove any clogs, to prevent full-blown mastitis. For you, it might be a good idea to do this pretty consistently, even after you feel better. Nursing or pumping the affected side can help really empty it out. Block feeding can help address oversupply, so that you're not constantly too full. I'm hoping that if you can get your supply regulated, the mastitis might just fade on its own? (Hey, it's worth a try!) In the meantime, to address possible thrush, I'd be doing vinegar washes, probiotics (I used to put them directly on my nipple and in my baby's mouth), GSE, etc. This will have to be a multipronged approach, I think. Good luck!

You can call me JoMo!

Mom to baby boy Joe, born 5/4/09 and breastfed for more than two and a half years, and baby girl Maggie, born 7/9/12.

Re: MRSA/Mastitis? Desperate...

mtmama, MRSA is a staph infection. Specifically is stands for Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus. Which means it is resistant to the treatments that are typically effective for other types of staph. But it can be treated!

elliesmum, Have you been told to stop nursing due to the MRSA? Not that you should have been, I am just wondering, as sometimes moms are told this but actually only in rare circumstances of prematurity or fragile health is it possibly warranted. It is usually not warranted, according to BAMS, because by the time the mom has any symptoms and is thus diagnosed, the nursing child (and likely, any child) has already been exposed to it.

I have looked up MRSA in the textbook Breastfeeding Answers Made Simple (Mohrbacher 2010) and I do not see an answer to your question about continuing to test positive.

Has your child also been tested for MRSA and treated? I am wondering if you are being possibly being re-infected by your child???? Just an uneducated guess.

Another idea-I don't really understand the terminology so I am sorry if I have this wrong, but BAMS also mentions "community-acquired' MRSA and suggests that, in places where this is prevalent, moms need to do frequent hand washing, and health professionals need to by very conscientious about wearing sterile gloves and routinely disinfecting everything they touch (pens, clipboards, computer keybards, etc.) and things moms and babies come into contact with such as baby scales and breastpumps. Basically, it sounds like some places have much higher incidences of this infection than others maybe you are in such a place and are being repeatedly re-infected?

The only treatments BAMS notes are oral antibiotics, although it does not mention a specific antibiotic. Also, hand washing and routine hygiene practices to help prevent the spread of infection are suggested.

Plus I would suggest following the general guidelines for avoiding mastits.
Also, pay attention to positioning and latch, your sore nipples may be caused or exacerbated by a poor latch or awkward positioning, and yes this can crop up when nursing older children as well.